The concert on Wednesday the 22th of April in the high school Thanawiat Shhour in Bestiat village, South Lebanon was a mix of Norwegian and Lebanese contributions. It opened with the Lebanese national anthem, followed by the Norwegian anthem.
The Lebanese students danced and performed a traditional song, before the Norwegian students entered the stage with their mix of Norwegian folklore songs and contemporary music. The concert ended with the Lebanese and Norwegian students jointly singing an arabic song.
The Norwegian ambassador Aud Lise Norheim was also present and enjoyed the performances. In her opening speech she underlined the close ties between Lebanon and Norway; ties that have developed to a very large extent thanks to the Norwegian participation in UNIFIL since 1978. But also through the many years of activities and presence of Norwegian NGOs in Lebanon.
The music students have also visited several Palestinian schools and organised concerts in the refugee camp Rashidieh. The cooperation between the music academy’s teachers and the local community in South Lebanon goes back to the 1980's, starting with the exchange of letters between pupils of one of the music teachers and children of a school in Rashidieh refugee camp.
During the years the cooperation evolved from the letters to mutual visits. 2009 is the fifth year students from the Norwegian Music Academy visit Lebanon in order to share their music as a part of their education.
Students at Thanawiat Shhour perform a dance in traditional costumes.